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This is me

A busy mind in many places. One of my children was asked what I did for a living. The list given includes my main occupation of farming but also goes on to school bus driver, carpentry, furniture making, developer, designer, landscaping, handyman and more. I've traveled in most states of the union (I'm missing two) and several foreign countries. My favorite vacation is a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I like to read. Favorite authors include western author Louis L'Amour, science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey and architect Sarah Susanka. I like to sing and am a bass in our local barbershop chorus. In church I also prefer the bass part. My best friend and wife, Karen, and I have 3 children who are all busy and happily building their own lives. We have twin granddaughters born in September 2011 and another granddaughter born in April 2014.

When word first reached me of the death of 16 year old Ross I didn’t think I had any connections with him or the family. Yes, he lived near a neighboring town, but what connections could I have with him. The connections have begun to pile up.

The first connection was to our church. He had for a while been coming to Sunday School classes there and still had family who were members.

The second connection was to friends. His high school choir director was our daughters friend, we know that family well. She had brought Ross and some friends to our church to sing at the Living Nativity just days before the accident.

Next came connections to Farm Bureau. His dad is active in their county Farm Bureau and I have seen him at state activities. He had just won top prize in the foundation raffle.

The last one hit hardest. Ross had been coming to sing with our barbershop chorus during the summer. I had talked to him then, but had not seen him for months. Our chorus has been asked to sing at his funeral today.

Memories now flood back to an earlier funeral of a promising young man we sang for years ago. Jeff had been my son’s friend. They sang in a high school quartet and in our chorus. That death had been a lot closer, but in no way less tragic. Both deaths involved cars and both deaths involved making lethal mistakes. Now another young man is gone.

Hold your children today. Tell them again to be careful and that you love them.